490 CHEMICAL NOTES. BOTANICAL, 



no other substance present. A few chips of the timber carrj'ing the deposit, 

 and of the same, in so far as could be seen, quite free therefrom, were sub- 

 mitted to analysis : — 



Timber of Oeissois Benthatni (Air-dry). 



Incrusted Free from 

 portion visible incrustation 



Ash (CO2 free) 11.4 0.97 



Lime (CaO) 10.2 0.31 



equal to Calcic carbonate 18.2 0.55 



Water — 9.6 



I have not noticed any previous record of the occurrence of this substance 

 in a timber, though its existence as crystoliths in the bark of Ficiif; and some 

 other plants has been noted (H. G. Smith, Jouni. Royal Soc. N.S. Wales, xxxix., 

 1905, p. 29). 



V. The Nitrogen Content of Fungi. 



In June and July, 1897, 1 examined a number of Australian fungi for 

 nitrogen. Three of these were freshly collected on the Blue Mountains, N.S. 

 Wales and identitied by Mr. R. T. Baker; others were ordinary dried herbarium 

 specimens from the collections in the Technological Museum, Sydney, given to 

 me by Mr. Baker. The I'ohipvriia nujlittae C. et M. (Mi/littu auMralis Berk.), 

 popularly known as '"Blackfellow's bread," was collected at Wentworth Falls, 

 N.S. Wales, and consisted of a sclerote weighing 2416 grams. The results ob- 

 tained are as follows: — 



I'erceittaye of nitrogen in Awtralian fungi (drg). 



Peziza fa-sciculosa (i.8() 



SUereiim caperatum 1.83 



„ lobatum 2.40 



Polyporus mylitlae 0.51 



,, porteiitofsus 2.47 



Hexagona aubtenuis 1.16 



«P -^-W 



Lenziles repandra 1.12 



Polystictus fhdn'lliformix 0.70 



„ satiguineus 2.40 



Trametea MueUeri 0.52 



„ lactinea 2.21 



Clathnis cibariiis 1.99 



Xijlontroma giganlrnm 0.30 



X. gigatiteum really consists of the sterile mycelium of sevend I'olyporaceae, 

 chiclly P. eucalgptorum and a species of /•'oinrs. 



The three fn^sh specimens, as under, contained respectively of water: — 



% Water 



Peziza fa-'^ciculosa 95.9 



Clathrus dbarms 93.5 



Poh/pontx mylittae - 77.2 



The moisture in the herbarium specimens varied from 10 to 15 per cent. 

 P. mylittae in its fresh state yielded 0.15 per cent. ash. 



In a paper on P. mylittae by Mr. .7. H. Maiden (Agric. Gaz. N.S. Wales, 



iv., 1893. p. 909) it is stated to contain no nitrogen in any form. The specimen 



